Roger Corman's 1966 film The Wild Angels is remembered as an average Peter Fonda flick that would successfully kill an hour and a half if absolutely necessary. However, this far-from-classic did provide the birthing ground for a psychedelic alternative classic by Glaswegian band Primal Scream, by the name of Loaded.
Ousting individuals from a Fantasy Premier League squad can appear to be a rather gruelling task, but every nineteen game weeks the gracious grasp of a safety net option appears and with it the luxurious promise of washing away those dire originals that promised so much and delivered so little.
Transfer after transfer. Goodbye Shaw, so long Courtois. Farewell Roberts and bon voyage Bamford. Negative points chaotically tallying up in multiples of four evaporate instantly through the sweet release of a single button; the wildcard, which almost feels as if to orchestrate the brass harmony of the aforementioned
Screamadelica track immediately upon contact.
Arguably the most famous scene in The Wild Angels is set in a courtroom. Showing the slightest degree of empathy, the judge queries rebellious biker Heavenly Blues. “Just what is it that you want to do?” Blues simply responds that he and his posse want to be free to do what they want to do. Switching the wildcard function removes the transfer shackles and releases the nectar of unlimited choice which can be so painstakingly desired in Fantasy Premier League managers' respective times of need, granting them absolute freedom.
This Fantasy Premier League Tips article will consider two potentially risky selections for anticipative team owners and whether they are worthy of being let loose within hopeful squads belonging to FPLBet readers.
James Milner - £6.7m
It currently appears to be a very bleak period of Brendan Rodgers' tenure at Anfield. Struggling to match the firepower of the incredibly offensive Reds team of 2013/14, the Liverpool gaffer never seemed to truly replace the goal scoring prowess of marmite bucktoothed sensation Luis Suarez and his injury-prone chum Daniel Sturridge, whose recent and long-awaited return from the United States couldn't have come at a shakier time in what is being interpreted by experts as the final weeks of Rodgers' reign, however the substance in this statement is yet to be wholly revealed.
Rodgers did make numerous shrewd signings in the recent summer transfer window, snapping up James Milner and Danny Ings on free contracts for example, although the latter's parent club was entitled to financial compensation. The former is something of a Premier League veteran, with tens of thousands of minutes of top flight experience to his name as he approaches his thirtieth birthday. It is this experience that attracted Rodgers to the Englishman.
The element of risk in the potential Fantasy Premier League signing of Milner does not lie within his playing time, as he is a guaranteed starter as acting captain during Jordan Henderson's spell on the side lines. The conundrum to consider merely concerns his projected point total. Defensive contribution is of no interest to a number-hungry manager, but this is something that Milner provides in abundance, particularly as a result of his switch in position to centre midfield.
Up until a laborious and disheartening 1-1 draw with Norwich in which a slightly bizarre 3-4-1-2 formation was strategically used, the Leeds born player starred in a midfield three alongside Lucas and Emre Can, undoubtedly making him the most attacking-minded of the trio. With Sturridge's return and flair players such as Roberto Firmino around him, Milner's reliable searching passes may just demand a significant points register via assists, popping up with the occasional goal.
However, playing ninety minutes for club and country often twice a week does put Milner, who has a notoriously mint-conditioned bodily engine at substantial risk of burn out. This is especially considering that the midfielder spent a large portion of recent seasons as a substitute for Manchester City.
Likelihood of starting Gameweek 7: 5 out of 5
Connor Wickham - £5.7m
In an effort to consolidate his offensive losses to injury, Alan Pardew started tricky winger Yannick Bolasie in the Crystal Palace lone striker role away to Tottenham Hotspur. This, unfortunately for the club's unforgettable FA Cup hero was an unsuccessful decision which ultimately saw The Eagles lose 1-0, despite Frazier Campbell's introduction at half time.
Dwight Gayle scored his second hat trick for the Selhurst Park club midweek in a 4-1 thrashing of Charlton, two goals of which came from the penalty spot. This may force Pardew to consider reintroducing the former Peterborough player into the Palace line up for their upcoming match away to Watford.
However summer signing Connor Wickham, who originally appeared to be an immediate replacement for Glenn Murray, has spent the past few weeks recovering from a knock and looks set to re-join the match day squad if not this game week, then certainly the next. Wickham was touted at a very young age as a striker with a keen eye for goal but hasn't yet lived up to his potential.
In direct comparison with Gayle for the 2014/15 Premier League season, both players scored five times and assisted one goal. Embarrassingly however for Wickham, that total took him 1658 minutes longer to reach than his team mate. An argument can be made that Sunderland managers Gus Poyet and Dick Advocaat played the twenty two year old out of position during his time at the Stadium of Light, totally hindering his ability to score goals.
At Crystal Palace, Wickham has a clean slate and an opportunity to score consistently at the highest level in his preferred position as a lone striker being fed by wingers and midfielders that certainly do not lack a creative spark. This could be a very important season in terms of the career path for the Palace number 21, therefore the earlier that he is away from the medical staff and on the pitch playing football, the better.
Likelihood of starting Gameweek 7: 3 out of 5
For the time being it may be worth nurturing the wildcard option until injuries and suspensions make it absolutely necessary, as a midweek barrage of brutality could offset what would have previously been deemed a strong and well-managed squad.
